Laurie Kingery

Tess Hennessy is a rancher's daughter, living in the Rio Grande Valley, in Texas in the year 1880. She is not your traditional young lady who is searching for a husband, but rather her interests lie in being the best photographer she can be and hopefully someday going to New York and becoming famous. But she is suddenly kidnapped by the famous gang leader Delgado and taken to his hideout so she can capture him in pictures, so he will forever be remembered. What Tess doesn't realize is that Delgado's right hand man, Sandoval Parrish, is really a Texas rancher working to bring down Delgado.

I enjoyed the action and adventure of the story, even though you know how it will end. Tess had a lot of determination and spunk, even when she was frightened and scared. It also showed Sandoval, a man torn between his desire for revenge and his growing love for the lady he put in harm's way.… (meer)

Lawman in Disguise (Brides of Simpson Creek #7) by Laurie Kingery
Read 9/4/16 Reviewed 9/15/16

Lawman in Disguise is the seventh book in the Brides of Simpson Creek series. You will meet some new characters and visit with a few of the characters from previous books. My only real complaint about the book is that it has been so long since the last book I couldn’t remember some of the people and their stories. This story deals with Daisy Henderson, a member of the community, and her son and the stranger that her son finds injured in the barn, Thorn Dawson. She knows he is an outlaw and send for a doctor and the sheriff but there is just something about him that tells her he isn’t really a bad guy. That feeling in confirmed when the sheriff doesn’t arrest Thorn and lets him stay at the barn to heal. Thorn is undercover and has become part of an outlaw gang. The character are well developed and the story moves at a good pace. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes clean historical romances.… (meer)

Title: Mail Order Cowboy
Author: Laurie Kingery
Pages: 279
Year: 2010
Publisher: Steeple Hill Books
Milly Mathews is a young woman who wants to get married, but has very few options in her hometown so she creates a group of other like-minded women. They decide to place an ad in the newspaper, inviting men who are interested in marriage to begin corresponding with the group. The ad meets with immediate success as the first man arrives in town without even answering the ad! The man in question is Nicholas Brookfield and his curiosity is piqued by the ad. He wants to meet the woman in charge of placing the ad. He meets Milly, but before they can get beyond a brief introduction Milly is called out to her ranch due to an Indian attack.
Upon arriving home where Milly lives with her sister Sarah, they discover the barn has been burned down, their livestock stolen and their only experienced ranch hand injured. The two women are at a loss as to what to do, but are determined not to sell out to their sneaky neighbor. Nick volunteers to stay and help out until the foreman gets back on his feet. A family of freed slaves agrees to work for Milly in exchange for room and board, but some in the town then begin to treat Milly differently. Milly and Nick begin to develop a relationship, but will Nick’s past come back to haunt him? Will the town accept these freed slaves or will Milly send them away?
One thing I consistently find enjoyable and satisfying about these stories is that faith is always in the forefront. While this story wasn’t my favorite, it does have a good plot and two likeable main characters. They pray in the good times and the bad for God’s guidance and protection. The plot just wasn’t to my liking. I will be reading more of these little books as they are a nice way to spend an afternoon and they bring faith to the focus.
My rating is 3 stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”… (meer)